Lately, when confronted with the opinions of my fellow Christians, I ask myself, "What were they thinking?" Truth is, I wonder if they've really thought through the opinions they put forth. In this blog I will attempt to provoke thought on some current issues. My thoughts might not mirror the popular view, but I hope they will help others consider the question, "What would Jesus think?"

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Saturday, August 27, 2005

HOMOSEXUALITY: The Really Bad, Nasty Sin

Are there classes of sin? For example, is gluttony an okay sin since so many Christians—as evidenced by our waistlines—partake of it? Is gossiping a mild sin? After all, almost all of us do it at one time or another. Then there is the famous “little white lie.” Who hasn’t used that one? Has anyone ever taken a tablet of sticky notes from work? Just a little moderate thievery never hurt anyone, right? A bit too much eggnog at your Christmas party? Drunkenness once a year or so, isn’t one of the really bad sins, is it?

I once knew a Christian whose son was living a homosexual lifestyle. A Christian sister, whose own unmarried son was living with a woman, expressed shock, judgment and pity. “How can you stand to have your son like that?” she asked. The message was clear: your son is doing a really bad sin. My son’s sin is…normal, acceptable.

How did it happen that homosexuality has become the big, bad nasty sin of all time? I do not deny that it is a sin, I just wonder how it became a special class of sin, sin worthy of a level of contempt and hatred toward the sinner unmatched by that of any other sinful lifestyle.

In this scripture, homosexuality is listed along with greed and heterosexual immorality. These sins are not rated according to their level of wickedness. Think about it: homosexuality and greed (When was the last time YOU worked overtime so you could buy more material goods?). Both are equal in the eyes of the Lord. Are they equal in your eyes?

1 Corinthians 6 goes on to say:“11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

According to that scripture, some of the early church had been homosexuals. It’s not the unforgivable sin. It’s not a sin that merits Christians holding signs condemning homosexuals to hell. It’s not a special class of sin. It’s a sin like any other. Let’s remember that and temper our behavior accordingly, showing the grace and mercy toward sinners that Jesus shows, remembering always that “such were some of you.”

I couldn't agree more. The older I get the more I have come to believe that, at their core, all of our sins are rooted in woundings that we have not taken to the right healer. ALL of us are guilty of that. We have different woundings so our sins manifest in different ways. Once one realizes that, it should be really hard to be judgmental.

I agree that it's wrong to single this sin out. But let's try to understand why people do it:

1. Homosexuality seems grotesque to heterosexuals. A lot of things we don't like to talk about trigger our imagination in ways we don't like and we would rather not think about them.

2. Homosexuality presents an affront on the family. Mom, Dad, kids - we have a lot of emotional investment in that formula. Not to mention the enormous blessing of God for that institution. People generally get upset when something seems to threatens that.

3. It's a sin where so many people see themselves as 100% innocent. I'm married with kids. I'm not a homosexual. Therefore it's safe ground for me to get judgmental and down-right nasty about it because I'm not implicated at all.

As a matter of fact I am implicated. Not for being a homosexual but for being narcissistic. That's essentially what homosexuality is - it's obsession with one's own identity. Homosexuals are trying to fill the void of their sense of self with another person of the same sex. It's not about sex it's about identity. And I am certainly guilty of using other people to define who I am. Using our friendship or association to make me feel better about myself.